MSE News: Investigation reveals supermarkets' 'dodgy pricing tactics'

Gigervamp

MSE_Helen wrote: »

"Which? has called for tougher government guidelines on supermarket pricing after uncovering 'misleading' price tactics ..."

No !!!! Sherlock! I do wonder if the likes of Which? trawl these forums. After all, the supermarket tactics are a well known fact here on MSE.

Gigervamp

VfM4meplse wrote: »

The part that made me lol were the disingenuous claims by the supermarkets that these were mistakes rather than deliberate attempts to profiteer.

Exactly! Really pees me off that they don't get done for it.

Gordon_the_Moron

DonnySaver wrote: »

On the last 4 trips to Morrisons, my wife has found that her multi-buy and discounts have not been applied at the till !! The last time she went she'd been overcharged by over £10 !!

She goes back and tells them everytime but it happens on every occasion.

CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS !!

My missus works for Morrisons and I used to, I can tell you absolutely, definitely, 100% this is NOT a company policy, they would get royally f***ed for it if they did. The most likely cause is lazy, careless staff or under staffing (they are cutting hours to a ridiculous degree at the moment!) signs may be displayed for expired offers as they are not being removed. If this is the case I wouldn't complain too much, if the offer has expired but they're still advertising it if you go to customer services they have to honour the deal.

grandma247

I fell about laughing when I heard the excuses given by the supermarkets. They really do think we are all stupid. They have been at it for decades. I used to take a calculator shopping when I was young to check on the large economy versus small pack deals. No surprise that two small packs were often a better deal than the large.

We should have a system here like they have in western Australia. If a price is wrong and you find out after you have paid they have to pay you 11/2 times the price you paid but you must have the reciept. It would cut down on a lot of these "mistakes".

I bought pizzas out there in a supermarket and I did ask the assistant if the price was correct because it seemed exceptionally high but she said it must be right as they were Mcain and were the most expensive. I showed my friend the reciept when I got back and she advised taking it with me next time so I did. I had paid waaay over the normal price so I was pleased with the amount I got back. I joked with the assistant that someone had input the barcode instead of the price.

paulgee

Advertising a deal which is not valid or knowingly overcharging for an item is fraud, pure and simple. Clearly some mistakes are made but as soon as the supermarket have been informed of the 'error' then they are obliged to correct it instantly. Explaining that head office controls prices is irrelevant.

Overcharging is simply fraud and unless stores wilfully offer compensation for their 'mistakes' then there is little incentive to correct them. The UK Fraud Act is quite broad and this is a good example of fraud in practise.

Every time this happens to me I insist they change the pricing and have often heard the 'head office' excuse. The moment they have been informed of the mistake and fail to take immediate action, is the point they commit fraud.

Turning it around the other way, it's a bit like me accidentally leaving without paying for something. I subsequently discover the error and would need to return the unpaid item or pay for it, or risk being accused of theft. If I notice it and decide to do nothing about it, I am a thief. Why supermarkets feel that their actions in the example above are any different is beyond my comprehension.

WishI'dReadSooner

I shudder when I see some people shopping as some don't even look at the prices OR if there are BOGOF offers they just pick up one item.
I've pointed the BOGOF items out to some OR have pointed out that larger sized items are half the price BUT often you just get looked at as if you are insane, rarely do you get thanked.

Supermarkets shoot their prices up and down, often of staples. Things like cheese fluctuate so much, there is usually one mature or vintage cheddar on offer so why buy one that is full priced? (overpriced) I KNOW my favourite coffee usually goes on offer twice a year so I buy approx. 6 months worth at half price. Same with tinned tomatoes, beans, sweetcorn etc. etc. I bought a chest freezer to take advantage of when frozen goods go half price.

If it's not at what I consider to be a good price then it just doesn't get purchased. I can substitute something else.

I totally agree with the fact that you can often tell when something is going on offer shortly as the price rockets overnight to an astronomical amount (and people still buy it??). The following week it's half-price or even worse BOGOF or buy 3 get 2 free (WHAT a TOTAL pain - this should be BANNED especially on short dated items - Like huge packs of Yogurt - Mr T take note!)

Yep - quite often the headline 1/2 price or BOGOF price is more than the unit price was just a week or 2 earlier and in 2 weeks time the 'normal' price will be the same as the special headline price. It makes me mad!

Get to KNOW prices, make a note of the things you buy regularly and CHECK the prices EVERY time you purchase. If the price goes way up SUBSTITUTE something else and wait for it to go on offer. If you see the item at a great price and you can store/afford then buy a few months worth. Get to know how many times a year, and approx. when they tend to reduce - check all supermarkets too.

Also check prices of staples in Aldi, Lidl and Home Bargains, B&M, etc. You might be surprised and also astonished at the quality.

Debt_Free_Chick

If you really want to understand the power - and abuse of it - that Supermarkets have over our food supply, read Shopped by Joanna Blythman

sheff1

ON OFFER!!

Ah good! That looks worth a look...

Oh. Thank you Tesco. Every little counts.

[£20.00] PRICE CUT
£19.99
Hotel Satin Stripe Duvet Set WHT DB

(apparently I can't post images as a new user).